Apostasy That Wasn't: The Extr - Paperback

by Rod Bennett (Author)

The theory goes like this: Just a few centuries after Christ's death, around the time the Roman Empire converted to Christianity, the true Faith suffered a catastrophic falling-away, so obscured by worldliness and pagan idolatry, kicking off the Dark Ages of Catholicism, that Christianity required a complete reboot. This theory is popular]] but it's also fiction. This idea of a "Great Apostasy" is one of the cornerstones of American Protestantism, along with Mormonism, the Jehovah's Witnesses, and even Islam. Countless millions today profess a faith built on the assumption that the early Church quickly became broken beyond repair, and needed restoration to the "pure" teaching of Jesus and the apostles. Amid imperial intrigue, military menace, and bitter theological debate, a hero arises in the form of a homely little monk named Athanasius, who stands against the world to prove that there could never be a Great Apostasybecause Jesus promised his Church would never be broken With the touch of a master storyteller, Rod Bennett narrates the drama of the early Church's fight to preserve Christian orthodoxy, while powerful forces try to smash it.

Author Biography

Rod Bennett was, for many years, the editor of Wonder Magazine, a popular Christian media journal. His writings have appeared in other national publications as well, ranging from Rutherford and Gadfly to Catholic Exchange and Our Sunday Visitor. Rod has appeared on many well-known radio and television programs such as The Journey Home and Bookmark. His first book, Four Witnesses: The Early Church in Her Own Words, is a best seller from Ignatius Press. He also edited Why Catholic Bibles Are Bigger with apologist Gary Michuta and compiled Chesterton's America. A convert from the Southern Baptist faith, Rod joined the Catholic Church in 1996. He lives in Atlanta with his wife Dorothy and their two children.